Harry Kane produced the game-changing effort, and Ivan Perisic was impressive on his full debut as Tottenham beat Wolves 1-0 on Saturday.
Wolverhampton Wanderers had the measure of Tottenham Hotspur in the first half, with the hosts unable to get out of second gear through the 45 minutes. Bruno Lage’s men had Tottenham on the ropes at different stages in the opening period, although their targets never troubled Hugo Lloris.
Tottenham came the closest to finding the back of the net in the first half, with Jose Sa denying Harry Kane by showing strong reflexes. But that was Spurs’ only effort during the opening period, which left Antonio Conte exasperated on the touchline. However, Conte’s half-time talk had an immediate effect as Tottenham picked up pace after the interval.
Kane came close to scoring again, but while his glancing header beat Sa, it could not go under the bar. Son Heung-min then had a few half chances, but the South Korean international’s slow form continued. Tottenham finally broke the deadlock from a set-piece situation, with Kane showing tremendous awareness to nod in Ivan Perisic’s glancing header.
The goal paved the way for frantic action on both ends, and the tempers also started flaring up. But Spurs held their nerve to clinch a hard-fought 1-0 win over Wolves and continue their unbeaten start to the seas. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Antonio Conte’s men following the close victory for Tottenham.
Another game, another milestone ?
Harry Kane has now scored 2️⃣5️⃣0️⃣ goals for the Club ? pic.twitter.com/46F5x81FDf
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 20, 2022
Hugo Lloris: 6/10
Wolverhampton Wanderers were on top in the first half and gave Tottenham a few scares. But Lloris never looked concerned, making three regulation saves to keep a clean sheet for the first time this season. The Tottenham captain was composed with the ball at his feet and did not get flustered in the face of Wolves’ counter-pressing.
Davinson Sanchez: 7/10
Sanchez came into the team in place of the injured Cristian Romero, and he had a busy outing at the back. The Colombian international showed tremendous awareness at times, winning five duels and making as many clearances. But Wolves caught him out of position on a couple of occasions, which might have proved costly for Tottenham. Nonetheless, Sanchez came through unscathed.
Eric Dier: 7/10
Dier was the player to watch in our preview, and he guided Sanchez smartly from the central spot. The English international kept Tottenham organised at the back, ensuring Wolves never bothered Lloris despite being the better of the two sides in the first half. Dier’s output on the ball was also solid, and his stock continues to rise with every performance.
Ben Davies: 6/10
Wolves had Tottenham on the ropes in the first half, but Davies never looked troubled, keeping Daniel Podence quiet throughout the Portuguese international’s stay on the pitch. The Welshman used his experience well, making crucial clearances and blocks. But he was wasteful with the ball at his feet at times, which pulls his rating slightly.
Emerson Royal: 6/10
Emerson had a few scares against Rayan Ait-Nouri and Goncalo Guedes. But the Brazilian defender grew into the game as the minutes wore on while showing superb chemistry with Dejan Kulusevski on the right flank. But his crossing needs work, with his deliveries being hopeful rather than purposeful. Still, that was another solid showing from Emerson.
Rodrigo Bentancur: 7/10
Bentancur has been top-notch in the early stages of the 2022/23 season, and the former Juventus midfielder was in his elements on Saturday. The Uruguayan international was here, there, and everywhere while retaining an excellent passing rate of 92 per cent. That made him press resistant, allowing Tottenham control the proceedings after a difficult first half.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg: 6/10
Hojbjerg endured a “hit and miss” game on Saturday, as he did well to push Tottenham forward, particularly in the second half. The Dane pressed smartly higher up the pitch to keep Spurs in control. But that also meant that Hojbjerg left some space wide open in the middle of the park, allowing Wolves to heap pressure on Tottenham on a few occasions. But Bentancur covered well for him.
Ivan Perisic: 7/10
Ivan Perišić for Tottenham vs. Wolves:
◉ Most duels won (7)
◉ Most tackles (5)
◉= Most chances created (3)
◉ Most assists (1)Assists in back-to-back games for the Croatian. ?? pic.twitter.com/PpMExCm2An
— Squawka (@Squawka) August 20, 2022
Ivan Perisic earned his first competitive start for Tottenham, and the Croat was the chief creator for the hosts against Wolves. The veteran wide man was lively on the left flank and linked up well with Son Heung-min while putting the hard yards off the ball. And Perisic also grabbed an assist for the match-winning goal as Harry Kane converted his glancing header across the Wolves goal.
Dejan Kulusevski: 7/10
Kulusevski was the only player who looked likely to create something out of nothing in a frustrating first half for Tottenham. And the Swede linked up beautifully with Kane from his flank and played three key passes, including one for the star striker. But Conte will ask for a performance reminiscent of the opening-day salvo from him.
Harry Kane: 8/10
Kane had a raging battle with Nathan Collins throughout the game, and the young defender marked him well throughout the contest. The England captain still managed to come close to scoring twice, with Jose Sa denying him once and the crossbar coming in his way the other time.
But Kane got the better of Sa and Collins to deliver the three points for Tottenham, showing brilliant awareness to score from a free header in a set-piece situation. With that, Kane brought up his 250th Tottenham goal and 185th Premier League strike, the most by a player for a club in the competition’s history.
Harry Kane has scored the most goals for one club in #PL history ?⚪️@HKane | @SpursOfficial pic.twitter.com/VuTEkLCXhq
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 20, 2022
Son Heung-min: 5/10
Son had his moments, but the outing on Saturday was another sub-par showing from last season’s Golden Boot winner. The South Korean international had failed to score in seven prior meetings with Wolves, and that record continued on Saturday. While Son showed some bright link-up play with Kane and came close to scoring twice, he is missing that spark in his game.
SUBSTITUTES
Richarlison: N/A
Richarlison replaced Son with 15 minutes left in the game and was a livewire in the final third. The Brazilian international came within whiskers of scoring his first Tottenham goal and would have been frustrated to fail to find the back of the net.
Ryan Sessegnon: N/A
Sessegnon came on for Perisic and showed the desire to win his spot back on the left flank. He was strong in tackle but did not pose a threat in the final third.
Yves Bissouma: N/A
Bissouma was a late replacement for Kulusevski and helped see the game out from the middle of the park.
Keshav Awasty . He wrote this article. He watched the game . Came away with a good understanding of the macro picture and worded it correctly. Good take on the game. Accurate. Covered the important points while giving a broad view . I saw the game . Fully agree with his take . He has a good football sense.
#coys